Plummer Peak via Pinnacle Saddle - Mt. Rainier, WA 8-27-2016

Ditch the crowd in Paradise! The hike to Pinnacle Saddle and Plummer Peak is an easy short hike with moderately steep trail, and views are FANTASTIC....and less crowded! Perhaps, one of the best and breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier you can get with less effort.

To get to Plummer Peak, go right/to the west from Pinnacle Saddle. If you go left/to the east, that's climbers route for Pinnacle Peak and the Castle. Soon after you trek down the trail from Pinnacle Saddle towards Plummer Peak, from the main trail there is a sandy trail going uphill to your right. Take that sandy trail to hike up the slope which leads you to the route to Plummer along the saddle. You can actually see it along the saddle if you look up toward Plummer when you approach Pinnacle Saddle.

The trail runs along the saddle and sits on a steep gully, but it is in good shape and solid. So, just traverse carefully. Mt. Rainier to your right and Pinnacle Peak behind you....wow, what a view! The trail gets a little rocky part of the way, but fairly easy hike. In a little over 1/2 mile(?) from the saddle, you reach the top of Plummer Peak. Easy scrambling is needed to get to the summit rock.

Wow, sweeping panoramic views in all directions!....Mt. Rainier, Pinnacle Peak, the Castle, Unicorn Peak, Goat Rocks, Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens and more peaks and ranges far and near. I could see lots of cars in Paradise....crowded!

If you want amazing views from Tatoosh range, I highly recommend Plummer Peak. Perhaps, you can combine with other hikes for a day hike as it's a easy and short hike. By the way, I noticed colors are changing....summer is almost over! Get out there and enjoy every bit of the summer hiking before it's gone! Cheers!!

Pinnacle Peak/The Castle - Mt. Rainier, WA

June 30, 2016

Two thumbs up! Amazing hike. In just a little over 1 mile/1000' gain, this hike offers sweeping vistas of breathtaking mountains, green valley, lakes, wildlife and the towering peaks of Tatoosh range - Pinnacle Peak, the Castle, Plummer Peak, Denman Peak, Unicorn Peak....and more beyond near and far....plus, great workout. You may say, "really?" And, my answer is YES!!

I always wondered if there was a way to hike up to those peaks sticking out on Tatoosh range seen from Paradise. To me, they always remind me of Gothic cathedrals visually. Last month when I hiked to Unicorn Peak, someone told me there is a short and easy trail to Pinnacle saddle. Since then, I put Pinnacle saddle on my hiking list. When I read the recent trip report on the hike describing the route is snow free and in good condition, my spirit said "let's go!"

Pinnacle Saddle
Trailhead is located right by Reflection Lakes across Stevens Canyon Road. Follow the trail sign which says Pinnacle Peak Trail. The trail starts with a gentle grade and soon climbs steadily. Snow along the trail is almost all gone and there are some small patches left here and there. Glacier lilies are abundantly blooming now in lower elevations and will be bursting all over pretty soon. The trail is in excellent condition, but partially a little wet, which is normal this time of the season as snow is still melting. There is a couple of long stretches of snow still standing en route in about between 0.5 - 1 mile from trailhead. But, they are not hard to cross as the snow is firm and not slippery, and boot tracks are solid. There are a few gullies to traverse en route, and they have some snow, but no problem to cross. One of the gullies has snow and scree (loose rocks) on the path and it was a little tricky as the scree created loose traction. So, pay attention as you proceed.

In 1.3 miles, you reach Pinnacle saddle....the portal to many amazing views and hikes! The trail sign says "End of maintained trail." Wow, where is the amazing views?" Mt. Rainier? Pinnacle Peak? Unfortunately, clouds were forming when I started the hike and by the time when I reached the saddle, it was totally shrouded in the clouds! Darn it....no views?...you've gotta be kidding!? I stepped over to the other side (south) of the saddle.... Mt. Adams was faintly visible through the clouds. But, wait....I could slightly see some blue skies to the east through the clouds!

Pinnacle Peak/the Castle
You have a couple of options for hiking from the saddle. Climbers routes run from the saddle....going right (west) for Plummer Peak and going left (east) for Pinnacle Peak and the Castle. Because I saw some blue skies to the east, I decided to take the trail to east and hike toward Pinnacle Peak/the Castle.

Bingo! The view gradually opened up in blue skies as I came out of the shroud of the clouds. Wow, amazing vistas before my eyes!....the Castle, Mt. Adams, Denman Peak, Plummer Peak, green meadow and valley (Butter Creek Research Natural Area) down below, wildflowers....and Pinnacle Peak looms right beside! In fact, the clouds shrouding part of the valley and surrounding peaks created a mystic beauty of austerity....adversity became advantage.

The climbers route to Pinnacle Peak/the Castle is not too bad. It's dirt, scree and rocks with a little up and down and over all in good shape. There are a couple of sketchy sections en route, but not hard to figure out the way. In about 1/3 mile from the saddle, you come to the point where you may need to decide....either ascend the scree slope to the ridge between Pinnacle and the Castle, or continue the trek toward the Castle, or turn around. It looks there are several different routes and options to choose from there, based on what you aim for with Pinnacle Peak and the Castle. Assessing my capability (I am NOT a rock climber or a hard core scrambler!) and visually evaluating visible traces of routes and other factors (grade, scree, rocks), I decided to climb straight up to a short ridge close to the west face of Pinnacle Peak, instead of hiking further toward the Castle. I was hoping for open vistas to north from the ridge. Ascending the steep route to the ridge was a little tricky due to loose scree, but manageable. A little scrambling near the ridge may be needed....I used my hands to grab the rocks. Overall, the route I took was secure and no serious climbing skills were necessary.

Take in the majestic view of Mt. Rainier! It's the best view of Rainier I've seen among all my Rainer hikes so far. The sea of clouds added a magical beauty no doubt. It gave me goose bumps all over. No joke! Pinnacle Peak looms right beside me and the Castle rises just to west from me. We juxtaposed all together there. Totally amazing. Beyond words. The view south was equally spectacular....Mt. Adams, Unicorn Peak, Denman Peak, Plummer Peak....and Mount St. Helens joined the skyline, too.

If you want amazing views for a short hike, I highly recommend the hike to Pinnacle saddle on a clear day. You can also explore part of climbers routes for additional adventures, either with Plummer Peak or Pinnacle Peak/the Castle. If you are a climber, you already know what you are looking for! I'd like to go back again to hike up to Plummer Peak next time.

Unicorn Peak via Bench and Snow Lake Trails - Mt. Rainier, WA

This is an epic hike "if" it's done timely....before the snow melts away and the route to Unicorn Peak becomes rocky.

I snow-hiked Bench and Snow Lakes Trails 3 weeks ago and noticed a pointy peak looming by Snow Lake. It intrigued me and learned the peak was Unicorn Peak. Seeing boot tracks heading up to the gully toward the mountain peak, I figured that must be the way to Unicorn Peak.

Reading the recent trip report and WTA's description, I decided to try Unicorn Peak and set the goal to reach the saddle below the summit block. I am an avid hiker, but not a rock climber or into a hard-core scrambling, so reaching the saddle and get a closer view of the peak would be a great adventure, I thought. And, the mission accomplished! What an exciting journey it was! I am glad I did this hike while the route is still snow covered (instead of rocky) and the weather was gorgeous with no bugs this weekend.

The trail to Bench and Snow Lakes is mostly snow free...just patchy snow here and there. The trail has some muddy spots, but no biggie. Glacier lilies are popping out now and will be blooming more soon.

There is one blow down blocking the trail, but it's easy to get around. There is a creek you have to cross, which seemed posing a little issue. I saw some hikers needing a help to cross the creek. There were three options I found for crossing the creek yesterday....hopping on rocks (staying on trail), big fallen tree (veer to left from trail) or small wood piece (veer to right from trail). You can follow the boot tracks based on which way you want to choose for the creek crossing. I followed the boot tracks going right from the main path and found the small wood setting over the creek. The creek seemed relatively shallow there and not too wide (about 4 feet). See the pics for comparison.

After the creek crossing, the trail becomes mostly snow covered and leads you to Snow Lake. The lake is not completely snow/ice free yet, but it is showing up more compared to 3 weeks ago (it was still mostly frozen).

From the lake, I continued the journey to ascend the gully by following the boot tracks. I passed by quite a few climbers coming down en route. The gully is very steep. I could manage ascending the first half without traction device, but as it got steeper and the snow was slushy and slippery, I decided to use microspikes for ascending the second half. Hiking poles are a must. Ice axe may be even better in case of losing traction and slipping down the gully.

The view of the snowfield at the top of the gully is spectacular. It's surrounded by the mountain wall....it made me feel like hiking into a snow-filled gigantic stadium. As you continue to ascend, turn around once in a while and enjoy the view of Mt. Rainer behind you. Traversing the snow field, Unicorn Peak comes into sight with another pointy peak (West Unicorn Peak). My destination was to reach the saddle between the two peaks. The slope to the saddle is once again very steep....and it was slushy/slippery in the late afternoon. I even wished for crampons!

Take in the grand view at the saddle! Worth the effort!! With Unicorn Peak next to you, Mt. Rainier to north and Mt. Adams, Mount St. Helens, Mt. Hood and other peaks of Tatoosh range to south are seen. I hiked down to the south side of the saddle to get a better view of the southern peaks. From the saddle, the climbing routes to the Unicorn's summit block are - scramble the steep north west face, or ascend the snow covered steep route along the south side of the peak, or traverse below the saddle to the east side for scrambling. You should be better equipped with ice axe, crampons and helmet to reach the summit block safely. 

Descending from the saddle was a little tricky due to the steep grade and slushy/slippery snow condition which presented a poor traction. So, I ended up glissading down part of the way which saved also my knees! Trekking down the gully was fair as the snow was not so slushy/slippery and I could use the boot tracks as a step.  

Unicorn Peak was a great hike and adventure with fantastic views, though it was a bit strenuous to conquer the two rather steep slopes. Instead of scrambling up the rocky trail/gully after the snow is gone, I am glad that I did this hike with the trail still snow covered. The journey to Unicorn Peak gave me such an exciting hike similar to Camp Muir, but only in a shorter distance! (5 miles RT) Two thumbs up!

Reflection Lake, Bench Lake and Snow Lake - Mt. Rainier, WA

May 13, 2016

Stevens Canyon Road is partially plowed now and the road is open from Paradise Road to Snow Lake trailhead.

Since I've done quite a bit of snowshoeing adventures from Paradise area this snow season, I was looking for something different when I arrived at Paradise yesterday. So, I asked a ranger at the visitor center for a suggestion. He suggested snowshoeing into Bench and Snow Lake as Stevens Canyon Road was recently plowed and partially open. I took his recommendation and headed down to Stevens Canyon Road from Paradise.

On the way, I stopped at Reflection Lake to see how the lake looked like.....it's still snow/ice covered, but some melting. I could find a reflection of Mt. Rainier in a small pool of water, however.

Stevens Canyon Road is blocked off at Snow Lake trailhead and there is a small off road parking area by the trailhead. There is no restroom, so use the ones at Paradise or Narada Falls.

I was thinking of putting on snowshoes at first, but after assessing the snow condition and boot tracks of previous hikers, I decided to snow-hike without snowshoes. From the trailhead sign, I followed the trail and the rest was just to follow boot tacks through the thin forest. The hike gently climbs until you reach the open space (snow covered meadows). From there I kept trekking towards Tatoosh Range/Unicorn peak....pretty much straight forward. The snow was a little slushy all along, but not icy....relatively firm and occasionally soft. I experienced no post-holing.

Instead of traveling by Bench Lake, I set my course to Snow Lake aiming to ascend directly up to the saddle (steep, but short) from the end of the meadow. There is a big rock on top of the saddle where you can sweep the view of Mt. Rainier and the meadow down below. From the saddle I continued the journey down towards Unicorn Peak and soon reached Snow Lake. Snow Lake is still mostly snow covered at this point. It was interesting to see a gully above Snow Lake which is the gateway to summit Unicorn Peak....highest peak among Tatoosh Range.

I enjoyed this hike with the mountain views of Mt. Rainer and Tatoosh Range and the terrains along the hike providing me serenity and solemnity. In comparison, I could imagine how busy this trail would be with many hikers once snow melts and into summer.

The trail is still buried under snow at this point...at least a few feet of snow, it seems....except the beginning of the trail by the trailhead. There is one narrow/shallow creek en route, but easy to cross. Although I hiked without snowshoes or microspikes and encountered no issues yesterday, snowshoes may be helpful, depending on your comfort level and assessment of the snow condition.

This is a great short hike if you prefer a quiet and less crowded (for now) adventure and something different from Paradise area. In fact, I am intrigued to explore Unicorn Peak now after this hike!